Grandkids & Exercise – Fitness Friday, Sabrena Jo

Fitness Friday, The Not Old Better Show

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, I’m Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #374.

Our show today is part of our Fitness Friday series, and it’s another great one in our Fitness Friday programs. We’ll be hearing from returning guest, Sabrena Jo.

We talk about this a lot on The Not Old Better Show, and our audience knows well, that as we get older, we tend to spend less time in physical activity than when we were younger.  According to the Center for Disease Control, less than half of adults exercise enough to meet health guidelines, and even fewer older adults tend to do so (cdc.gov).  While getting older is a predictor of reduced physical activity, children today are also getting less physical activity than they did in previous generations, to the detriment of their health and physical development. 

So, if you are a grandparent (or have friends with grandchildren), you might agree that kids today have less unstructured free play than you did during your own youth.  When I was a child, I spent time after school and on weekends riding my bike everywhere, fitness and Physical Education classes were more the norm, and I played with friends all manner of sports, like skiing, which I’ve talked about before a lot. From what I see, children today are spending more time in front of televisions, computers, and mobile devices.  Many governments around the world, like here in the US, have launched campaigns to increase the amount of time families spend in an activity.  Both Go4Life.gov and HealthFinder.gov are great websites where you can read about the issue and ways to address this growing health concern, increase fitness, and create healthy exercise habits.

But, getting back to grandparents, the American Council on Exercise has new research on how to get kids and grandparents working together, exercising, and having fun all at the same time. Sabrena Jo, ACE Fitness Director of Science and Research Content is here today to talk about a few exercises you can do both on your own and with the younger generation.  Since getting older means that we spend less time in physical activity, and with kids moving around less as well, why not set a great example and have fun at the same time! We will talk through a few different exercises for all ages that are lots of fun and can improve mobility, flexibility, and overall health.

Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via interview phone, ACE Fitness’ Sabrena Jo. 

For more information about today’s research article from the American Council on Exercise, please go here
https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/7244/simple-obstacle-courses-for-kids

For more information about The Not Old Better Show, please go here https://notold-better.com